ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Mayor Malik Evans is proposing legislation to pay a vendor to design a new system that would keep debris out of the Genesee River. The proposal focuses specifically on trees, but the city says cleanup may include other debris as well.
News10NBC’s Erin Mahon was at City Hall, where the proposal was introduced before City Council on Tuesday night. The proposal is called the Genesee River Debris Mitigation Assessment. Evans is asking for $600,000 to pay for a professional assessment of the debris that gets trapped in the river and a preliminary design of a system that could prevent trees from piling up in the future.
Every year, trees get trapped in the Genesee River where it runs through downtown. The city says most of these trees originate outside the city, but once they flow here, they get stuck.
The trees have become part of the backdrop for those who live around the area. James Weathers, who likes to exercise along the river, said he’s used to seeing debris in the water.
“I mean, I’ve always know it not to be the cleanest water. So there’s always been stuff in the water, so I’m never like surprised. So yeah, I’m kind of used to it,” Weathers said.
Mikie and Danielle, who were walking along the river, said they wondered how the debris gets removed.
“We were just wondering if it gets removed or not, but like that’s pretty much it — and like how large the tree branches are, like how would they get removed if they were to?” they said.
The city says the debris often blocks part of the river and builds up near bridges. These conditions, the city says, can pose dangers to those using the river and increase the risk of flooding. In addition, the bridge buildup can damage the infrastructure over time. Annual cleanups cost the city time and money, as it’s forced to close the Broad Street, Main Street, and Andrews Street bridges during operations. The only upside is that the city turns the wood into mulch and offers it to residents for free through the city’s Give Back program.
But year after year, the trees return. To reduce annual costs, Evans is proposing the city spend its money on designing a system to catch debris south of downtown. City leaders expect most of the $600,000 needed to fund the project will come from the state, with the rest supplied by the city.
Many people said they’d like to see the trees cleaned up and know more about the problem. Kyra Johnson, who works in the area, said cleaning the water is important.
“I think it would be great. I think it makes it look better for one, right, and then two you know where’s the debris coming from? like what’s the cause of that? and obviously, you know, cleaning out the water is always important for the surrounding, you know, nature and animals around us,” Johnson said.
City Council’s meeting started at 6 p.m., where they discussed the proposal and the fate of the tree debris.
Rochester aims to reduce Genesee River debris with new proposal WHEC.com.
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